In Excel VBA, how do I save / restore a user-defined filter?

excel vba filter

Solution 1:

Have a look at Capture Autofilter state

To prevent link rot, here is the code (credit to original author):

Works with Excel 2010, just delete the commented line marked.

Sub ReDoAutoFilter()
    Dim w As Worksheet
    Dim filterArray()
    Dim currentFiltRange As String
    Dim col As Integer

    Set w = ActiveSheet

    ' Capture AutoFilter settings
    With w.AutoFilter
        currentFiltRange = .Range.Address
        With .Filters
            ReDim filterArray(1 To .Count, 1 To 3)
            For f = 1 To .Count
                With .Item(f)
                    If .On Then
                        filterArray(f, 1) = .Criteria1
                        If .Operator Then
                            filterArray(f, 2) = .Operator
                            filterArray(f, 3) = .Criteria2 'simply delete this line to make it work in Excel 2010
                        End If
                    End If
                End With
            Next f
        End With
    End With

    'Remove AutoFilter
    w.AutoFilterMode = False

    ' Your code here

    ' Restore Filter settings
    For col = 1 To UBound(filterArray(), 1)
        If Not IsEmpty(filterArray(col, 1)) Then
            If filterArray(col, 2) Then
                w.Range(currentFiltRange).AutoFilter field:=col, _
                Criteria1:=filterArray(col, 1), _
                Operator:=filterArray(col, 2), _
                Criteria2:=filterArray(col, 3)
            Else
                w.Range(currentFiltRange).AutoFilter field:=col, _
                Criteria1:=filterArray(col, 1)
            End If
        End If
    Next col
End Sub

Solution 2:

Above code does not work in Excel 2010 as it has more possible filter types. This may be true for Excel 2007 too.

Excel 2010 (XL14) introduces a number of changes over XL 2003 (XL11)

  • .Operator is no longer True/False but an enumeration. There is still a FALSE (=0) value, which for some reason cannot be set using Operator:= when setting Criteria1. The old TRUE values remain as xlAnd and xlOr (1 and 2).

  • The selected ranges (xlTop10Items, xlBottom10Items, xlTop10Percent, xlBottom10Percent) appear to be implemented as a .Operator=FALSE type that will achieve the desired result at the time the filter was set, but with a non-zero .Operator. However you cannot use Operator:= when restoring the filter. It becomes a fixed range rather than (say) top 10.

  • For .Operator=xlFilterValues, .Criteria1 is an array of the selected values, and seems to be restored OK with the expected statement.

  • The criteria for Format filters (eg cells with green fill - new in XL 2010 over XL 2007?) apparently can't be restored using the .Criteria1 mechanisms. The operator can be restored, but the pass filter isn't restored so it filters out everything. Better to just leave it off.

Extended version of above, implemented as SaveFilters() and RestoreFilters()

I have used literal numbers rather than the enumerations (xlAnd, xlOr etc) so that the code has a fighting chance of being usable in XL 2003 which didn't have those enumerations. Some of the restoration CASE statements are repeated code; this is to simplify later extensions if someone finds a way to bypass some of the limitations above. 

' Usage example:
'    Dim strAFilterRng As String    ' Autofilter range
'    Dim varFilterCache()           ' Autofilter cache
'    ' [set up code]
'    Set wksAF = Worksheets("Configuration")
'
'    ' Check for autofilter, turn off if active..
'    SaveFilters wksAF, strAFilterRng, varFilterCache
'    [code with filter off]
'    [set up special auto-filter if required]
'    [code with filter on as applicable]
'    ' Restore original autofilter if present ..
'    RestoreFilters wksAF, strAFilterRng, varFilterCache

'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
' Sub:      SaveFilters
' Purpose:  Save filter on worksheet
' Returns:  wks.AutoFilterMode when function entered
'
' Arguments:
'   [Name]      [Type]  [Description]
'   wks         I/P     Worksheet that filter may reside on
'   FilterRange O/P     Range on which filter is applied as string; "" if no filter
'   FilterCache O/P     Variant dynamic array in which to save filter
'
' Author:   Based on MS Excel AutoFilter Object help file
'
' Modifications:
' 2006/12/11 Phil Spencer: Adapted as general purpose routine
' 2007/03/23 PJS: Now turns off .AutoFilterMode
' 2013/03/13 PJS: Initial mods for XL14, which has more operators
'
' Comments:
'----------------------------
Function SaveFilters(wks As Worksheet, FilterRange As String, FilterCache()) As Boolean
    Dim ii As Long

    FilterRange = ""    ' Alternative signal for no autofilter active
    SaveFilters = wks.AutoFilterMode
    If SaveFilters Then
        With wks.AutoFilter
            FilterRange = .Range.Address
            With .Filters
                ReDim FilterCache(1 To .Count, 1 To 3)
                For ii = 1 To .Count
                    With .Item(ii)
                        If .On Then
#If False Then ' XL11 code
                            FilterCache(ii, 1) = .Criteria1
                            If .Operator Then
                                FilterCache(ii, 2) = .Operator
                                FilterCache(ii, 3) = .Criteria2
                            End If
#Else   ' first pass XL14
                            Select Case .Operator

                            Case 1, 2   'xlAnd, xlOr
                                FilterCache(ii, 1) = .Criteria1
                                FilterCache(ii, 2) = .Operator
                                FilterCache(ii, 3) = .Criteria2

                            Case 0, 3 To 7 ' no operator, xlTop10Items, _
 xlBottom10Items, xlTop10Percent, xlBottom10Percent, xlFilterValues
                                FilterCache(ii, 1) = .Criteria1
                                FilterCache(ii, 2) = .Operator

                            Case Else    ' These are not correctly restored; there's someting in Criteria1 but can't save it.
                                FilterCache(ii, 2) = .Operator
                                ' FilterCache(ii, 1) = .Criteria1   ' <-- Generates an error
                                ' No error in next statement, but couldn't do restore operation
                                ' Set FilterCache(ii, 1) = .Criteria1

                            End Select
#End If
                        End If
                    End With ' .Item(ii)
                Next
            End With ' .Filters
        End With ' wks.AutoFilter
        wks.AutoFilterMode = False  ' turn off filter
    End If ' wks.AutoFilterMode
End Function

'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
' Sub:      RestoreFilters
' Purpose:  Restore filter on worksheet
' Arguments:
'   [Name]      [Type]  [Description]
'   wks         I/P     Worksheet that filter resides on
'   FilterRange I/P     Range on which filter is applied
'   FilterCache I/P     Variant dynamic array containing saved filter
'
' Author:   Based on MS Excel AutoFilter Object help file
'
' Modifications:
' 2006/12/11 Phil Spencer: Adapted as general purpose routine
' 2013/03/13 PJS: Initial mods for XL14, which has more operators
'
' Comments:
'----------------------------
Sub RestoreFilters(wks As Worksheet, FilterRange As String, FilterCache())
    Dim col As Long

    wks.AutoFilterMode = False ' turn off any existing auto-filter
    If FilterRange <> "" Then
        wks.Range(FilterRange).AutoFilter ' Turn on the autofilter
        For col = 1 To UBound(FilterCache(), 1)

#If False Then  ' XL11
            If Not IsEmpty(FilterCache(col, 1)) Then
                If FilterCache(col, 2) Then
                    wks.Range(FilterRange).AutoFilter field:=col, _
                        Criteria1:=FilterCache(col, 1), _
                            Operator:=FilterCache(col, 2), _
                        Criteria2:=FilterCache(col, 3)
                Else
                    wks.Range(FilterRange).AutoFilter field:=col, _
                        Criteria1:=FilterCache(col, 1)
                End If
            End If
#Else

            If Not IsEmpty(FilterCache(col, 2)) Then
                Select Case FilterCache(col, 2)

                Case 0  ' no operator
                    wks.Range(FilterRange).AutoFilter field:=col, _
                        Criteria1:=FilterCache(col, 1) ' Do NOT reload 'Operator'

                Case 1, 2   'xlAnd, xlOr
                    wks.Range(FilterRange).AutoFilter field:=col, _
                        Criteria1:=FilterCache(col, 1), _
                        Operator:=FilterCache(col, 2), _
                        Criteria2:=FilterCache(col, 3)

                Case 3 To 6 ' xlTop10Items, xlBottom10Items, xlTop10Percent, xlBottom10Percent
#If True Then
                    wks.Range(FilterRange).AutoFilter field:=col, _
                        Criteria1:=FilterCache(col, 1) ' Do NOT reload 'Operator' , it doesn't work
                    ' wks.AutoFilter.Filters.Item(col).Operator = FilterCache(col, 2)
#Else ' Trying to restore Operator as well as Criteria ..
                    ' Including the 'Operator:=' arguement leads to error.
                    ' Criteria1 is expressed as if for a FALSE .Operator
                    wks.Range(FilterRange).AutoFilter field:=col, _
                        Criteria1:=FilterCache(col, 1), _
                        Operator:=FilterCache(col, 2)
#End If

                Case 7  'xlFilterValues
                    wks.Range(FilterRange).AutoFilter field:=col, _
                        Criteria1:=FilterCache(col, 1), _
                        Operator:=FilterCache(col, 2)

#If False Then ' Switch on filters on cell formats
' These statements restore the filter, but cannot reset the pass Criteria, so the filter hides all data.
' Leave it off instead.
                Case Else   ' (Various filters on data format)
                    wks.Range(FilterRange).AutoFilter field:=col, _
                        Operator:=FilterCache(col, 2)
#End If ' Switch on filters on cell formats

                End Select
            End If

#End If     ' XL11 / XL14
        Next col
    End If
End Sub

I've seen a suggestion elsewhere to achieve the required outcome by

  • Set up a custom view (using some improbable name to avoid overwriting things)

  • Execute code with autofilter off or modified

  • .Show the view (restore previous layout)

  • .Delete the view (to remove redundant data).

Good luck folks..

Solution 3:

People looking for saving and restoring listobject / table filters (tested in Office 2007).

I have made some changes to the very good code above of Phil Spencer. Now you only need to add a listobject to the function and then it works for saving and restoring listobject filters as well:

'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
' Sub:      SaveListObjectFilters
' Purpose:  Save filter on worksheet
' Returns:  wks.AutoFilterMode when function entered
' Source: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9489126/in-excel-vba-how-do-i-save-        restore-a-user-defined-filter
'
' Arguments:
'   [Name]      [Type]  [Description]
'   wks         I/P     Worksheet that filter may reside on
'   FilterRange O/P     Range on which filter is applied as string; "" if no filter
'   FilterCache O/P     Variant dynamic array in which to save filter
'
' Author:   Based on MS Excel AutoFilter Object help file
'
' Modifications:
' 2006/12/11 Phil Spencer: Adapted as general purpose routine
' 2007/03/23 PJS: Now turns off .AutoFilterMode
' 2013/03/13 PJS: Initial mods for XL14, which has more operators
' 2013/05/31 P.H.: Changed to save list-object filters

Function SaveListObjectFilters(lo As ListObject, FilterCache()) As Boolean
Dim ii As Long

filterRange = ""
    With lo.AutoFilter
        filterRange = .Range.Address
        With .Filters
            ReDim FilterCache(1 To .Count, 1 To 3)
            For ii = 1 To .Count
                With .Item(ii)
                    If .On Then
#If False Then ' XL11 code
                        FilterCache(ii, 1) = .Criteria1
                        If .Operator Then
                            FilterCache(ii, 2) = .Operator
                            FilterCache(ii, 3) = .Criteria2
                        End If
#Else   ' first pass XL14
                        Select Case .Operator

                        Case 1, 2   'xlAnd, xlOr
                            FilterCache(ii, 1) = .Criteria1
                            FilterCache(ii, 2) = .Operator
                            FilterCache(ii, 3) = .Criteria2

                        Case 0, 3 To 7 ' no operator, xlTop10Items, _
xlBottom10Items, xlTop10Percent, xlBottom10Percent, xlFilterValues
                            FilterCache(ii, 1) = .Criteria1
                            FilterCache(ii, 2) = .Operator

                        Case Else    ' These are not correctly restored; there's someting in Criteria1 but can't save it.
                            FilterCache(ii, 2) = .Operator
                            ' FilterCache(ii, 1) = .Criteria1   ' <-- Generates an error
                            ' No error in next statement, but couldn't do restore operation
                            ' Set FilterCache(ii, 1) = .Criteria1

                        End Select
#End If
                    End If
                End With ' .Item(ii)
            Next
        End With ' .Filters
    End With ' wks.AutoFilter
End Function


'~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
' Sub:      RestoreListObjectFilters
' Purpose:  Restore filter on listobject
' Source: http://stackoverflow.com/questions/9489126/in-excel-vba-how-do-i-save-restore-a-user-defined-filter
' Arguments:
'   [Name]      [Type]  [Description]
'   wks         I/P     Worksheet that filter resides on
'   FilterRange I/P     Range on which filter is applied
'   FilterCache I/P     Variant dynamic array containing saved filter
'
' Author:   Based on MS Excel AutoFilter Object help file
'
' Modifications:
' 2006/12/11 Phil Spencer: Adapted as general purpose routine
' 2013/03/13 PJS: Initial mods for XL14, which has more operators
' 2013/05/31 P.H.: Changed to restore list-object filters
'
' Comments:
'----------------------------
Sub RestoreListObjectFilters(lo As ListObject, FilterCache())
Dim col As Long

If lo.Range.Address <> "" Then
    For col = 1 To UBound(FilterCache(), 1)

#If False Then  ' XL11
        If Not IsEmpty(FilterCache(col, 1)) Then
            If FilterCache(col, 2) Then
                lo.AutoFilter field:=col, _
                    Criteria1:=FilterCache(col, 1), _
                        Operator:=FilterCache(col, 2), _
                    Criteria2:=FilterCache(col, 3)
            Else
                lo.AutoFilter field:=col, _
                    Criteria1:=FilterCache(col, 1)
            End If
        End If
#Else

        If Not IsEmpty(FilterCache(col, 2)) Then
            Select Case FilterCache(col, 2)

            Case 0  ' no operator
                lo.Range.AutoFilter field:=col, _
                    Criteria1:=FilterCache(col, 1) ' Do NOT reload 'Operator'

            Case 1, 2   'xlAnd, xlOr
                lo.Range.AutoFilter field:=col, _
                    Criteria1:=FilterCache(col, 1), _
                    Operator:=FilterCache(col, 2), _
                    Criteria2:=FilterCache(col, 3)

            Case 3 To 6 ' xlTop10Items, xlBottom10Items, xlTop10Percent,     xlBottom10Percent
#If True Then
                lo.Range.AutoFilter field:=col, _
                    Criteria1:=FilterCache(col, 1) ' Do NOT reload 'Operator' , it doesn't work
                ' wks.AutoFilter.Filters.Item(col).Operator = FilterCache(col, 2)
#Else ' Trying to restore Operator as well as Criteria ..
                ' Including the 'Operator:=' arguement leads to error.
                ' Criteria1 is expressed as if for a FALSE .Operator
                lo.Range.AutoFilter field:=col, _
                    Criteria1:=FilterCache(col, 1), _
                    Operator:=FilterCache(col, 2)
#End If

            Case 7  'xlFilterValues
                lo.Range.AutoFilter field:=col, _
                    Criteria1:=FilterCache(col, 1), _
                    Operator:=FilterCache(col, 2)

#If False Then ' Switch on filters on cell formats
' These statements restore the filter, but cannot reset the pass Criteria, so the filter hides all data.
' Leave it off instead.
            Case Else   ' (Various filters on data format)
                lo.RangeAutoFilter field:=col, _
                    Operator:=FilterCache(col, 2)
#End If ' Switch on filters on cell formats

            End Select
        End If

#End If     ' XL11 / XL14
    Next col
End If
End Sub

Solution 4:

Setting custom views works surprisingly well for this. I get a message that some view info could not be applied (Excel 2010) but checking the filters, everything looks good. Depending on the situation, it might be worth taking this approach. Thanks to Phil Spencer for the idea!

'[whatever code you want to run before capturing autofilter settings]

wkbExample.CustomViews.Add ViewName:="cvwAutoFilterSettings", RowColSettings:=True

'[whatever code you want to run with either your autofilter or no autofilter]

wkbExample.CustomViews("cvwAutoFilterSettings").Show
wkbExample.CustomViews("cvwAutoFilterSettings").Delete

'[whatever code you want to run after restoring original autofilter settings]

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